Welcome to Tralph
by WriterMeander
Summary: Matthew "Moz" Lynd is the new kid at Tralph school. He's not too excited to be there and rightfully so; Connecticut is pretty different from Montreal after all. Away from home, he meets new challenges and people that will change his outlook on life.


A/N: Dunno if anyone's actually read this or will read this, but this is a story I wanted to write a few years ago, but I didn't have the experiences nor the attention span necessary to actually follow through. So I'm trying again and this is the reloaded first chapter. Changed a few things and tweaked others. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Scott Westerfeld is awesome. Me? Not so much. He owns all the characters and story in their original glory.

Chapter one: New school, new problems.

Moz POV

"Matthew Lynd?" I looked up into the eyes of the administrative secretary. "Yes?" came my reply. _Why am I changing schools again?_ I wondered for the millionth time since I was told I would be. I come from Montreal, and compared to this quiet little town in Connecticut, it was like night and day. In Montreal, there was always something happening. Here, not so much.

The secretary's voice cut through my thoughts. "Your guide is here." She motioned to the door and my head moved accordingly.

Standing in the doorway was a cute girl with electric purple hair, a small, rounded face, and sunglasses that hid her eyes from the world. She held out her hand. "Pearl." Shrugging, I took her hand in mine and shook it. "Moz. Nice to meet'cha." She nodded. "Alright. I'll give you tour and then I'll bring you to our English class, k?" I nodded and she lead the way out.

"So here at Tralph, dress code doesn't require anything fancy , so you can ditch the suit." Pearl giggled. I looked down and groaned. "Mom's orders." I muttered. Pearl nodded in understanding. "Here's the great thing about boarding schools: Mom's not around." Pearl flashed a wolfish grin, displaying a set of pearly whites. "I'll bring you to your dorm then, so you can change out of your suit into something more comfortable, alright?" I nodded relieved. She led me out the building and we reached a dorm in a few minutes. She flashed her key card by the reader and the door buzzed, letting us inside where we were met with a man in a lab coat.

Pearl walked up to him and tapped his shoulder. "Hey Cal, I brought the new kid for his keys." The man named Cal let out an exasperated sigh. "That's Mr. Thomson to you Pearl." He looked me in the eye and gave his hand. "Cal Thomson, biology teacher and this dorm's monitor. Pleasure to meet you." I took his hand and shook it. "Moz." I said simply, not feeling like talking too much. Mr. Thomson waited, expecting to hear more about me. The silence was slightly awkward. Finally, Mr. Thomson murmured something intangible and gave me a key card as well as an actual key. "You're a junior, so you're on the second floor. Room 218." I nodded and took the items in his hand.

Pearl took my hand. "C'mon. Your stuffs in there already." I shivered. I didn't want to admit it, but I was crushing on Pearl. Hard. There was something that drew me to her. I desperately wanted to see what her eyes looked like behind that pair of sunglasses. Pearl smirked and led me to the door. With shaking hands, I fumbled with the lock, swearing when it refused to open. Finally, the key slid into the lock and I opened the door.

The room wasn't too shabby, big enough to not feel like a canned sardine, complete with a bureau, desk and two beds. My suitcase was propped against the back wall, my guitar case lying on what I guessed was my bed. One half of the room was decorated with posters of various bands, movies, video games, and –of course- swimsuit models. My side was bare. I unzipped my suitcase and pulled out an Anberlin t-shirt, a pair of worn out jeans and my shoes. I took off the suit. When I was in my boxers, about to put on my jeans, Pearl giggled from the doorway. Horrified, I turned around and saw her staring at me. I let out a squeak of embarrassment.

Pearl snickered. "Relax. I like what I see. I live right next door to you, in 219, so holler when you're dressed and we can pick up the tour from where we left off." She paused, her eyes swept over me and I swallowed. "By the way, nice boxers." She said quietly, exiting the door frame. I groaned and face palmed. I looked over to my desk and couldn't help but chuckle. On the desk, three words were printed clearly into its surface: _Welcome to Tralph._

A/N: Alright, the first chapter of this story is done. It's my first time writing anything like this so please don't be too harsh. Reviews would be nice.


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